and that it means nearness through knowledge. All these scholars mean that what is intended is not that the essence of the Creator—majestic and exalted is He—is near the servant’s jugular vein or the dying person. Since they thought that the intended meaning was His nearness alone, without the angels, they interpreted it as knowledge and power, just as they did with the wording concerning His being with His servants. There is no need for this, however, for His words,

“And We are nearer to him than you” [al-Wāqiʿah 85],

mean “through Our angels” in both verses. This differs from the wording concerning His being with His servants: He did not say, “We are with him.” Rather, He identified Himself as the One who is with His servants and stated that He would inform them of what they had done on the Day of Resurrection. He Himself is the One who created the heavens and the earth, and He Himself is the One who rose over the Throne. The interpretation of His nearness—glorified is He—